This invention relates generally to footwear, and more particularly to the construction of a shoe where the entire heel or a portion thereof may be readily removed and exchanged with a heel or a heel portion having differing style, color, height, width or other characteristics.
In the field of footwear, and especially women's shoes, a need has been recognized for a more economical way to match the footwear to the woman's wardrobe than having one or more pairs of shoes for each suit, dress or casual outfit that a person may own. Obtaining and maintaining a collection of shoes to meet varying occasions can be quite expensive.
Since, to a large extent, the size, shape and color of a shoe's heel has a substantial impact on its overall appearance and comfort, the ability to readily remove and exchange the heel portion of the shoe has been further recognized as a manner which could meet the need to economically match footwear to the wardrobe. Specifically, it is not necessary to acquire a large inventory of pairs of shoes but, instead, the desired "look" and/or comfort factor can be achieved by merely substituting a new heel at a significantly lower cost. U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,320 is believed to show preferred manners of substituting heels.
However, further need exists to improve the construction of exchangeable heels such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,320. Specifically, exchangeable heels of U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,320 are somewhat difficult to manufacture as several small pieces are required to be assembled to the core piece of the heel. Likewise, the need exists to continue to improve the feel to the wearer that the heel is an integral component of the shoe, with some relative movement in prior exchangeable heel shoes being allowed due to loose tolerances in manufacture or as the result of wear. Similarly, the securement means to the sole of the shoe may tend to tilt relative to the sole due to differences in direction of force transfer from the heel to the pin and head portion causing discomfort to the wearer.